Toy figure imitating natural walking motions



Jan. 31, 1928.

H. HONING TOY FIGURE IMITATING NATURAL WALKING MOTIONS Filed Jan. 25, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 31, 1928.

H. HQNING TOY FIGURE IMITATING NATURAL WALKING MOTIONS Filed Jan. 25, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 rzfar I Jan. 31, 192a 1,657,798

H. HGNING TOY FIGURE IMITATING NATUHAL WALKING MOTIONS Filed Jan. 25, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Jan. 31, 1928 UNITED STATES 1,657,798 PATENT OFF-ICE.

HANS HbINING, OI BONNEBERG, GERMANY.

TOY FIGURE IMITATING NATURAL WALKING MOTIONS.

Application filed January 25,- 1927, Serial No. 163,448, and in Germany December 18, 1926.

. ural manner:

According to the present invention a toy figure is created which, with the aidof simple means, ensures a perfectly natural imitation of the walking motions of a four-footed animal. With this object in view two parallel toothed racks are mounted the one above the other in a frame and two spur wheels are arranged between said racks and keyed 0n axles journalled in the side walls of the frame. At each end of each rack a pair of legs is mounted in alternating arrangement, each leg being oscillatably mounted on a pivot bolt in the side walls of the frames. On the lower end of each leg a roller is mounted and each foreleg has on its inner side a slidable support serving as len hening member of the legs. Said support is controlled by a latch device to facilitate the forward oscillation of the other foreleg. The toy figure is operated by a pull exerted on the body of the four-footed animal either by hand or mechanically.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention, Fig. 1 being a longitudinal section and Fig. 2 across section. Figs. 3 and 4 are detail views of the mechanisms associated with the forelegs.

The mechanism for obtaining the walking motions according to the invention consists of a frame a, in which two toothed racks b and c are located parallelly one upon another and superposed so that the teeth of the racks face one another. Between the racks b, a two spur wheels d and e are enclosed, which are rotatably mounted on the cross shafts f and g respectively journalled in the side walls of the frame a. Each of the toothed racks carries on its outer ends horizontal projecting bolts 7, which engages in slots 9 provided on the upper end of the leg members, so that each pair of legs h and 2', it and 2" respectively is movably connected with the racks in reciprocal arrangement. The leg members are oscillatably mounted on pivots k fixed in the side walls of the frame a and provided on their lower ends with rollers Z for reducing the friction during the walking on the bottom. For obtaining a live-like walking of the toy figure one of the both forelegs has to be slightly lengthened in order, that the second leg can freely oscillate without pushin against the bottom, while the corresponding roller l on the lower end will be locked in its position. For this purpose each of theforelegs is provided with a lengthening support -member m, which is raised or lowered by. a latch mechanism locking at. the same time the corresponding roller Z on the lower end of the leg. The latch mechanism consists of a vertical slide bar n adapted as to be movable along the foreleg and provided on its lower end with a locking member 0 engageable with the corresponding roller Z. The slide bar it is permanently drawn downward towards the roller by the action of pull springs p and carries on its upper end a stop g cooper ating with a rising projection r mounted on the frame a. Also each of the toothed racks carries 8. stops designed to act upon a horizontally slidable lever )5 controlled by a spring u and provided with a recess v on its upper surface, in which engages a bolt to projecting from the slide bar 1. The latter carries further a stop :2: against which an oscillating lever z bears by the action of a spring a, said lever being oscillatably mounted on an axis 3 and serves to hold the lengthening member m.

w The mode of operation in executing the walking motions is as follows:

The drive of the toy figure is effected by a pull exerted onto the body either by hands or mechanically, so that the legs are caused to oscillate. Thereby the toothed racks b and a are moved to and fro by the rotation of the spur wheels at and 6, so that owing to the reciprocal arrangement of the legs, the one foreleg and the one hindleg execute a movement in the same direction. At the same time by the shifting of the racks the latch mechanism is actuated, by which the lengthening member of the one foreleg is moved downward and also theward direction the stop 9 of the slide bar it bears onto the rising projection so that it is raised, the locking member 0 being released from the roller Z and at the same time the lengthening member m being pulled upward owing to the spring action, whereby the roller Z comes in contact with the bottom. By shifting of the slide bar it also the bolt to, which is in engagement with the recess a; of the horizontally slidable lever t by the action of the spring u is removed in the direction as shown by the arrow in Fig. 1. When the foreleg oscillates in the opposite direction as before the stop .9 attached on the toothed rack buts against the lever if so that this lever is moved in the opposite direction of the arrow. Thereby the bolt w again engages with the recess '0 and the slide bar n is pushed downward by the action of the springs The locking member 0 engages the ro ler Z and locks the same, while at the same time owing to the stop m the lever z is displaced so that by the downward movement of the member m the lengthening 0f the leg is obtained.

It will be understood that the lengthening member m is guided on each foreleg in a suitable manner by means of projections m attached on the sides of the legs.

In this described manner the locking of the roller Z is automatically released and the lengthening member m is raised at the same time, when the one foreleg is oscillated rearwardly, while the other foreleg effects during its forward movement the locking of the roller Z and the lengthening of the leg, so that the one leg is shorter and can be freely oscillated without disturbing, the other leg causes the walking movement with the aid of the hindlegs.

What I claim is:

1. A toy figure imitating the life-like walking motion of a four footed animal comprising in combination a frame mounted in the figure body; two toothed racks located parallelly one upon another in the said frame, two spur wheels arranged between the said two racks, leg members attached oscillatably in a reciprocal arrangement on the outer ends of the said racks, rollers provided on the lower ends of the said leg members, pivots fixed in the side walls of the said frame and adapted to support turnably the said leg members, lengthening support members arranged on the innerside of the forelegs means for automatically raising and lowering the leg members, a latch mechanism adapted as to cooperate with the said lengthening support members and the said rollers.

2 A toy figure imitating the life-like walking motion of a four footed animal, comprising in combination a frame mounted in the figure body, leg members adapted oscillatably in the said frame, means adapted as to oscillate the leg members, rollers provided on the lower ends of the said leg members, a slide bar adapted as to be movable along the innerside of the forelegs, a locking member on each foreleg provided at the lower end of the said slide bar, springs adapted as to draw downward the said bar, a stop supported on the upper end of the said bar, a rising projection cooperating with the said stop, a horizontally slidable lever adapted as to be actuated by a spring and having a recess, a bolt mounted on the said slide bar and engaging with the said recess, a stop attached on the toothed racks and cooperating with the said lever, an oscillating lever adapted as to be turned about an axis, a lengthening support member connected with the said lever and movably guided on the insides of the forelegs, a stop attached on the slide bar and adapted as to bear against the said oscillating lever.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

HANS HONING. 

